The present invention relates to the formation of "blocks" consisting of three rows of loose, identically shaped articles such as cigarettes, the middle row containing one article less than the abutting outer rows. More particularly, this invention is directed to apparatus for use in the grouping of loose cigarettes into "blocks" having an even number of cigarettes arranged in an odd number of rows and, especially, to cigarette block forming apparatus including an angularly oriented, linear array of feed shafts with the number of shafts corresponding to the maximum number of cigarettes in any of the rows of the block to be formed increased by one, one of the end shafts of the array terminating at the level of the bottom of the uppermost row. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.